As others have pointed out, this is the Mythras/Runequest adaptation of the Luther Arkwright stories.

If you have a love for creating parallel worlds, if you love Dr. Who, or even if you just want to really mess with your players, here is your Holy Grail.

Players will be cast as Valhalla agents, crossing dimensions to thwart the Disruptors, and set things back on course.

But if you aren't a fan of Luther Arkwright... use this as a sourcebook for all things dimension and time hopping. It even has tables to help you design new worlds/parallels.

Definitely worth the price. AND it's a D100 system... so think Chaosium BRP, Runequest, Mythras... M-Space, Call of Cthulhu... the possibilities are... well, quite seriously, endless...

As a gun guy and a big fan of Runequest I was very excited to see this product and the price was right. Sadly as a gun guy I can see that the stats have a LOT of problems, especially ranges do not make sense for the weapons. A nice attempt, but flawed, so flawed I will not be using.

Excelent work on a period often ignored by games and history. This contains a lot of detail, they include a disclaimer that this is not a textbook and goes for playability but the overall accuracy of the history and life of the late Roman Empire is amazing. Despite its size it is an easy read and does not bog down players or GMs with too much.

I purchased runequest 6 a couple of years after it came out, on the recommendation that it would be good for a Hyborage Age game that I was planning. I bought Mythras immediately upon release based on my experience with RQ6. Since that time, it has become my go to system for a large number of games.

Mythras is in the d100 family of games, and is derived from the Mongoose RQ2 rules (by the same authors actually). Having seen these rules since, I can see how they have evolved to make them more understandable, more elegant, and more in line with a game that might work for multiple settings. I would call it medium-crunch, with most of that crunch being up front at character generation. Skills are percentile rated, as it is a member of the d100 family. I like this because it is very clear what your chances are - 30% ina skill means you have a 30% chance of success.

Mythras uses the standard STR/CON/DEX/SIZ/INT/POW/CHA setup for stats, and all skills are based on combinations of these two, rather than static values seen in some other d100 games. Skills are broken into two categories - Standard skills which everyone get some base value in, and Professional Skills, which you may not have any points in.

Culture and Career define how you get your skills - each provides a set with points to distribute among them. Careers cover a broad range of medieval professions (though see Mythras Imperative for more modern ones), and Cultures cover Barbarian, Civilized, Nomadic, and Primitive. Each has a distinct flavor to them, and there are careers recommended for each. Family history and family events are also covered, providing for a more lifelike character. I find that this makes characters make sense within a society, and gives them a sense of belonging that doesn't come in every other game.

Skills can be utilized in a number of ways, but somewhat unique to Mythras is the notion of a differential roll. You compare levels of success (Critical, Normal, Failure, and Fumble) to each other and gain a number of bonuses based on this. This is used extensively in combat, but some guidance is provided on making use of it in other scenarios.

An economics and equipment section is presented as well, complete with standards of living and rules for crafting, bartering, and haggling, as well as all of the weapons and armor you might need for an ancient to medieval campaign. Siege weapons and vehicles round out the mix. One notable part of weapons is their use of Size and Reach. Combat (detailed below) makes use of this extensively. It allows for Spear and Shield users to have distinct advantages over Hand Axe and Short sword users.

The game provides an extensive section on rules for a variety of situations. Fatigue is one of the most notable here, as it is used for bleeding and asphyxiation, and heightens the tension in combat. Many of the other standard things that you expect to find in many more detailed RPGs - encumbrance, survival, falling, poisons, etc. can all be found here.

One notable call out are Passions. Passions are a measurement of loyalty, hate, love, or other emotional bonds to people, places or things. They are rated the same as skills, and indeed, in the right situations, may be used as skills. Thus, if defending your king, and you have a great Love (King), you may augment your combat skill with your Love (King) passion, or even replace it if the situation warrants. These are highly recommended in bringing your character some nuance that may not be immediately present. These can also be added to a character at pretty much any time (pending GM approval of course) so that you can grow your character quite easily.

One of the most engaging features of Mythras to me is the combat system. Mythras uses hit locations and hit points, as well as action points to determine number of actions and initiative to determine when you act. Attacking is active, as well as defense if you desire. Damage is done and armor reduces the damage. Defenses can be via parrying or evading. Abstracted, it doesn’t work on a grid, instead relying on engagement between melee combatants and movement ranges.

As noted above, differential rolls are used extensively here, and power the use of Special Effects. These reflect disadvantageous situations that the attacker or the defender may inflict upon their foe, making combat much more lively than a simple back and forth of attacks and defense. These can be Tripping your foe, Pressing your Advantage, Impaling with your spear, and more. They are not limited to attackers, as defenders can defend, even if the attacker misses, gaining their own special effects like Overextending their Opponent, returning a Trip, or Blinding with a shield. Special effects go a long ways towards making the combat more tense, interesting, and providing opportunities other than whittling down bags of hit points.

I should note, however, that Special effects can take a bit to get used to, and this is probably my strongest criticism of the game. There are quite a few options, and the novice player can become overwhelmed, or focus on simple effects like striking the head. I would recommend taking a look at Mythras Imperative with its slightly smaller list of special effects to ease into things. Or limit your players to some specific ones until they get the feel of things. Soon they will see how other options can be better. One of our first games, I suggested that the GM strike at another player using Trip as a special effect instead of striking at the head. The head shot would not have killed the other player, but the trip ended up delaying him long enough that my character did die.

Mythras has an extensive magic section, clocking in at 80 pages and covering 5 distinct magic systems - Folk Magic to cover small spells the common people might use, Animism that deals with the negotiation with and binding of spirits, Mysticism which brings a high-flying wuxia feel, highly flexible Sorcery for covering (rather intuitively) sword and sorcery campaigns, and Theism, which brings a decidedly different view of magic bestowed by deities upon their worshipers.

Each one of these is presented in extensive detail, and you are encouraged to tune and refine these to suit your campaign. Guidelines for low, medium, and high magic campaigns are provided, as well as different ways to recover magic points - not all need apply in your campaign, and may apply at different levels. Advancement is covered in detail, of course, and each can be tuned - folk magic may be quick, and sorcery may be slow to learn. Mythras’ magic systems are one of the gems of the book, in my opinion.

Rounding out the book are three sections - one for cults and brotherhoods, an extensive creature bestiary, and a games mastery section.

The cults and brotherhoods provides an excellent framework for building organizations for your campaign, including ranks within them. Many examples are given as to using them with the above mentioned magical schools, and including Gifts - special powers like Immortality or puissance in a skill - that may be learned as one gains ranks within the organization. Geasa, Taboos, Superstitions, and Oaths cover a variety of restrictions, making it so one might need to swear allegiance to a Lich-lord to gain knowledge of raising the dead.

The bestiary provides rules for creating many new monsters, as well as covering more than 50 different mythical and non-mythical creatures. Some are less traditional like the Bagini or the Acephali, and traditional goblins, giants and dragons can be found here as well. Some non-traditional PC races like minotaurs and panthotaurs can be found here, as well as more traditional elves, dwarves, and halflings.

Another real gem in Mythras is the Games Mastery section. Unlike many of these section in other RPGs, I feel Mythras’ really gives excellent guidance of how to run a Mythras game. How to use passions, how to run social conflict, how to do investigations and use of traps. The combat section here talks extensively about some of the common misperceptions of the system - options other than death, action points being the only mechanism for winning, and how to use rabble (mooks) and underlings to get a particular feel. It really talks extensively about how to give cults flavor and life, and more than just faceless organizations that the PCs ignore.

Mythic Constantinople starts out with an introduction, of course, and sets the year at 1450. It talks about how religion is a major feature, though you need not explore it in your game, and talks about how much mythic you want to put in. Fortunately, you don't have to put any magic in it - the non-human races are pretty optional. It also has a pronunciation guide for Greek and Turkish, which you will probably need

Next is the section on history and geography of the area. it talks about the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, and the city itself - how it looks, what it's population is at any point, fortifications, monuments, and the nine districts. This section is a half a dozen or so pages, largely because there are far more detailed sections ahead in the book.

Next is the 20 or so pages on Byzantine culture. It talks about the different social strata - the demos, the mesoi, and the dynatoi. There is also the emperor and his family, but that's sort of out of the scope of the rest. It talks about slavery, foreigners of various types, as well as magic and superstition. Language, clothing, pastimes, and the calendar (filled with religious feasts) make up much of the next section, giving a detail picture of life in Byzantium as portrayed here (I personally cannot attest to it's accuracy). Education, gender roles, and the economy, as well as guilds follow next, and then into the natural extensions of crime, governance, law enforcement, and the judicial system. Next come a couple of pages each on the church and the military, with mercenaries and the navy getting small sections of their own.

Then we have the mentioned mediterranean world. it gives the bulk of this section to the Ottoman Empire, which makes sense. They don't get quite as much as Byzantium proper, but certainly a bigger section than the others. It goes into quite a bit of detail about the military and education systems here, so you can use it for a protagonist as well as an antagonist.

Next comes the character creation section. They detail out Greek and Turkish characters in extensive detail, as well as Arab, Frankish (essentially, all Europeans), Arimapsoi (a sort of cyclops), Astomatoi (mouthless humanoids with giant ears they can fly with that live off the smells of food), Blemmyai (Acephali from the Mythras book), Kynokephaloi (dog headed humanoids that are well loved in Byzantium), Minotauroi (take a guess), Skiapodes (monopeds!), and tripithamoi (essentially, imps). A couple of new careers in the catholic priest, labourer, miracle worker, and sportsman. There are also a couple of pages of culture and profession specific combat styles here - a really nice add. A section on names and background events specific to the campaign round out this part

Money and equipment follows. There are a couple of new weapon traits and a couple of new weapons. Greek Fire gets a nod, as well as early firearms and explosives. Artillery rounds out this section.

Next comes the magic section. They have specific Gifts from God called Charismata, exorcist animists, alchemy (and cleverly done at that), and some new folk magic. Christian theism gets a bit of a tweak on Theism that leans not only on requiring a gift from god, taking communion, and having people who believe in you being a conduit of God's power. It's a great little take on Theism that will really alter how it's played. Sorcery is given a couple pages as well, and tweaked to be the realm of a Bad Idea, but definitely the promise of power. Animism and Mysticism get small sections that come up later in organizations that teach them. Lastly, it talks about Christian, Muslim, and Jewish relics.

Next comes an extensive section on communities. there are 37 organizations in this, ranging from military brotherhoods to dervishes to exorcists to hospitallers to Platonic philosophers. far too extensive to list here, they all seem to follow the cults and brotherhood format in Mythras, many with Gifts (including some non-traditional ones, like room and board). There are also 26 big name NPCs in this section covering a pretty wide range of societal roles.

The next 60 pages or so is Constantinople in detail. And wow, the detail. The nine districts above each get 3-6 pages, as well as charts for randomly generating city nodes and all kids of info on typical houses and businesses and the like. Even typical conversation topics. Each district also includes rumors, local lore, and several (6-15 or so) places of interest in them, along with affiliations associated with that, people who are there, organizations that utilize it

The last section is about 30 pages to help you build a campaign. There are four campaign arcs all laid out, as well as many Secrets to add into your game, and themes to help guide you. There is advice on running a military campaign, especially the fall of Constantinople (the siege and the battle for the city are presented a separate campaigns). There is also a small bestiary in this section.

It’s 232 pages in that typically dense Mythras format. Art is solid and spread throughout, though not overly so. Probably ever dozen pages or so. Maps for the empire, the region, and for specific city level stuff (larger ones are available separately).

The pdf is disappointingly NOT bookmarked or hyperlinked. Right now this is probably its greatest flaw. I get that it will be many many bookmarks, but wow, it’s a lot of material to not have them. TDM typically does them, so i imagine it'll be coming here in a future revision

edit: the pdf has since been updated with extensive bookmarks and hyperlinks. was just a few days. thanks for the prompt response!

(the majority if his text was taken from a my review of this product on another board)

Classic Fantasy will take your d100 games and allow you to turn them into a D&D inspired game, but you will continue to feel as if you're playing d100/brp games. Built as an overlay for the Mythras system (the updated Runequest 6), Classic Fantasy has replaced the Cultures and Careers with Races and Classes, though humans maintain the classic Barbarian/City/Nomad/Primitive mix. In terms of complexity, there is a new layer of play that is added upon Mythras, but for those either transitioning from D&D to BRP games, or for those looking to recapture some of the fun of those style of games, many of these features will feel familiar and sensible. The magic systems have been completely reworked as well, and there's an updated bestiary and treasure guide in the book. It reads nicely, and has elements of the fantasy "Greymoor" setting included in the book. An expansion book has been released that details later level play, and opens the scope. I have run an entire campaign with this book (and Mythras) only.

This book feels not only like a rules toolkit, but a loving homage to masters Moldvay, Gygax, Arneson and others.

Fair disclosure, I have done some writing for this system, not published at the time of this writing, but was neither asked nor encourage to review this product.

Excellent quality, makes combat a breeze. My gaming group loves them!

I've always liked BRP mechanics and this appears to be the ultimate evolution of it, so far, and can't wait to try it out. It takes the good from Rune Quest expands on it and makes it better. It's my understanding that this is RQ 6(?) with a new name it's it's slimmer purely due to better use of layout and typsetting. The diy/modular nature of Mythras is something I've been looking for in an rpg for a long time. I've tried other diy/modular systems and they either felt too generic or the rules got too heavy for my style of GMing.

Design Mechanism does it again. Here are rules for PSIONICS. If you remember AD&D, you remember that Psionics were part nightmare, part party, part... well, you get the idea...

Now, we can have MIND FLAYERS... Errr... Sorry... MIND SLAYERS... in D100.

These are the star villains of any campaign... even when dealing with level taking monsters in the old school editions... Here are creatures that not only eat your brain... but steal your mind... or worse, control those who work for and with you.

Now you can take your old editions that detailed these aggressive, dimension hopping creatures... and bring them into your D100 world. Imagine it... Orcs, Hobgoblins, etc... and Dark Elves... just pawns of a far more villainous evil. Cthulian by nature... these are the stuff of real nightmares... they are coming to eat your brain... after they steal your mind and turn everyone against you.

I look forward to setting D100 players against them... and their plots for multiversal domination...

A nice brief scenario set in the world of Anathaym's Saga but easily adaptable to any fantasy world with a river and some cities next to it. Some indications are given to place the scenario in the world of Thennla or The Realm, but it could be used very well in Glorantha or even in Ancient Egypt.

It contains all the needed stats for NPCs. The best part is the tough decisions PCs will have to make and the consequences of these decisions that will spawn new adventures. I really hope The Design Mechanism keeps publishing these short monthly scenarios for Mythras.

Excellent, well-researched product! And unlike Mythic Britain, it focuses more on the Rome part, and less on the Mythic - though the mythic is clearly present, too. It just gives enough info that you could feel the athmosphere of the times. Great job, Design Mechanism!

This item was a supplement and expansion for the RuneQuest 6 and RuneQuest Essentials rules. For those you can now read Mythras and Mythras Imperative but you will need one or the other set to run a Luther Arkwright game. I haven’t played RuneQuest 6 itself but have been running games for my RPG group for some time using the Legend rules, and am now in the process of switching over to Mythras. All these rules are closely connected and if you enjoy one ruleset you will like the others. To my mind they represent some of the best rules out there, balancing ease of understanding with a wide ranging ability to cover most any situation gamers and game masters can come up with. Luther Arkwright continues with and builds upon that excellent tradition. I was ignorant of Luther Arkwright before reading these rules and bought them because, when I queried with the good people at the Design Mechanism that while Mythras Imperative contains some basics for a sci-fi game, the main Mythras rules don’t build on this as they are solidly in the sword and sorcery tradition, they suggested Luther Arkwright as one way of using the Mythras rules for a sci-fi RPG.

With Luther Arkwright you have on the one hand the main premise of that game setting itself, your player characters travel between parallel dimensions as Valhalla agents, all alternative versions of our Earth, battling the evil Disruptors, who seek to destroy the multiverse. The rules set out in a clear manner how to create such characters and how to create the various alternative versions of 1980s earth, with an excellent summary of the two Bryan Talbot graphic novels in which Luther appears. The alternate worlds may vary from primitive, through modern to futuristic, with a strong bias towards steampunk. This means that players can enjoy a variety of very different settings within a single campaign. As has been already noted by others this is a version of Dr Who without any of the worries about time paradoxes. But the real beauty of this supplement is that because it is a toolbox for creating many different worlds you could use it without the Luther Arkwright campaign setting itself at all. Use this supplement to develop a Mythras steampunk, contemporary or sci-fi campaign of your own. Almost any type of world is conceivable if you are willing to put the work into it. Currently I’m using the supplement to design a spacefaring campaign for my group but I may be tempted to try a Valhalla Project campaign in the future. Overall this supplement is excellent, extending the RuneQuest/Legend/Mythras rules into a wide range of new campaign settings.

Once again DM has done it. They somehow peeped into my tastes and pulled out exactly what I wanted despite me not knowing the form of my dream. The ships section is fantastic, and useful for the Mythras rules, adding another layer to the gameplay. The Battlefield rules are, to me, the pinnacle of what can be done with an immersive battle between factions in your worlds.

Mythras Imperative is a short, yet complete, compilation of the ruleset for Mythras (RuneQuest 6). While I have yet to play a session with it, the PDF appears fairly complete with rules for character creation, character advancement, skill checks/challenges, combat, equipment, and NPC enemies. Obviously a lot is missing, but that's the point of a sample document. It is an ambitious attempt to create a general rule set that can be played across a variety of settings, giving GMs and players the details necessary for fantasy/medieval, modern, and post modern settings. I enjoyed the crunch of the system that also allowed for a great deal of player fiat and flexibility. For example, the "classes" are simply general tropes that players and GMs can call whatever they'd like (i.e. your physician can be a doctor, herbalist, medicine man, etc. depending upon your setting or desired character backgrounds, yet all have the same skills).

The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is that there were one or two missing tables that were referenced within the document. For example, the weapons section mentions a Force rating for certain weapons (no, not Star Wars style force), and yet the Force Table that is referenced is no where to be found. Also, while magic is mentioned, there is no specific section outlining some of how magic works. Obviously I'm not looking for an indepth section as this is a teaser document, but simply a few paragraphs giving guidance as to how many magic points certain spells may cost, their damage amounts, etc. Yes, there is the challenge of creating a broad system for GMs to make up any setting they want, but a small amount of guidance could go a long way here.

Over all, great document and good introduction to the Mythras system and d100 roleplaying in general.

At first glance this work would seem to be just another addition to the growing number of games that seek to recapture the magic of the first wave of Table top RPGs while fixing the frustrating inconsistencies and rules that just didn’t feel right. The author is very clear about this in his blurb, and true to his word there is plenty to ring the bells of fond memory for those whose memories go back that far. However, there is more to this book than just another re-write of early D&D. This is a keenly honed, well-crafted, thoroughly considered work whose individual parts are as worthy of attention as the collected whole. The inspiration for this work is clearly D&D, in all of its iterations from the very start to second edition. It is not a slavish re-write, instead it cherry picks flavourful ideas and throws them liberally into the mix. Cavaliers and thief acrobats make their return from the obscurity of 1st Edition AD&D supplements, while Bards and specialist Magic Users (note Magic Users, not wizards) come from the more familiar 2nd Edition and Baldur’s Gate. Classic monsters and spells are also included, sometimes but not always renamed. Most of the old races and classes are there, ready for pre-loved characters from decades ago to breathe new life and seek out new glory. While the outward appearance is that of vintage D&D, this is a supplement for Mythras/RQ6. All the mechanics of play are drawn from the host rules except for a few tweaks and clarifications. And it works well. Mythras does what it does best; combat that is not too far removed from real experience, skills that are open to everyone to learn and master, internally consistent mechanics that can both universal in approach but specific in detail. Classic Fantasy provides the familiar simple to identify heroic architypes and tropes that let you have a bit of not to serious honest fun. There are also some useful ideas that can be cribbed for any 1d100/ BRP games. There are spot rules that can be lifted to replace or extend existing rules. There are rules for miniatures and/or playing on a square grid. There are new monsters, which are always welcome, and supporting wandering monster tables. There is a chapter on loot and magic items which is also welcome. There is a settings chapter with an interesting take on how to approach deities in a pantheon. It is fair to say that these are not the complete set of rules, the GM should really have a copy of Mythras/RQ6. Also the are places where it does feel a bit thin, for example more spells would be handy but it’s a very fair price for what you get. There is promise of another supplement and there is plenty there to get you going and give you enough of an idea of how you may go about adapting and incorporating anything you feel is badly missing. If it has piqued your interest enough to have read this far then it is certainly worth a look.